Preview Roundups
April 16, 2014
Tampa Bay at Baltimore 12:35 PM ET
With three important starting pitchers on the disabled list, the Tampa Bay Rays need more from their offense than it has produced the last 10 days. The Rays look to get their bats going after scoring 14 times in the last eight games when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in the finale of a two-game series shortened by Tuesday’s rainout.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 12:35 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have combined for 13 home runs in the first two games of the series, with the team clubbing the most taking each of the contests. The Reds try to make it two straight when they host the rubber game on Wednesday. The Pirates rode three sets of back-to-back home runs and a pair of RBI singles to an 8-7 win in the opener, while Cincinnati got a pair of two-run blasts in a 7-5 win in the second game.
Chi. Cubs at NY Yankees 1:05 PM ET
New York right-hander Masahiro Tanaka is thriving amid the hoopla surrounding the start of his major league career but faces a different challenge - a start pushed back because of a rainout - when the Yankees host the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Two of the most storied franchises in baseball get together for a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium after Tuesday's game was postponed as the Japanese superstar tries to record a third quality start in three outings.
St. Louis at Milwaukee 1:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers’ recent nine-game winning streak seems like a distant memory heading into Wednesday’s series finale against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers lost the first two games of the series while being outscored 10-1, and failed to advance a runner past first base after the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 6-1 loss. Milwaukee right fielder Ryan Braun has just two extra-base hits in seven games since hitting three home runs and collecting seven RBIs April 8.
NY Mets at Arizona 3:40 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks are getting desperate for a win and they’ll go searching again Wednesday afternoon against the visiting New York Mets. The Diamondbacks have lost five straight, putting them on the verge of getting swept for the second straight series at home. The problem has been easy to spot, as Arizona came into Tuesday’s game against New York with the highest ERA in the majors at 5.95 and then gave up nine runs in the first four innings before eventually losing 9-0.
Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves are taking advantage of an unscheduled day off to give rookie David Hale a chance to bolster a shaky bullpen. Julio Teheran will pitch for Atlanta on Wednesday in Philadelphia after Tuesday’s contest between the Braves and Phillies was rained out, allowing Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez to slide Hale from his starting spot Tuesday to a bullpen role for the next few days.
Chi. Cubs at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
New York right-hander Masahiro Tanaka is thriving amid the hoopla surrounding the start of his major league career but faces a different challenge - a start pushed back because of a rainout - when the Yankees host the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Two of the most storied franchises in baseball get together for a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium after Tuesday's game was postponed as the Japanese superstar tries to record a third quality start in three outings.
Cleveland at Detroit 7:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers were able to claim their third straight American League Central title a season ago due in large part to their domination of the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers, who went 15-4 against the Indians in 2013, look to repeat that success starting Wednesday when they host Cleveland for the first of two games following Tuesday’s postponement. Detroit used its advantage over the Indians last year to go 47-29 inside the division, allowing the Tigers to finish one game ahead of Cleveland.
Washington at Miami 7:10 PM ET
Coming off the worst start of his brief but sensational career, Jose Fernandez will look to the comforts of home in his quest to bounce back. The 21-year-old puts his perfect record at Marlins Park on the line Wednesday as Miami resumes its three-game series with the Washington Nationals. Fernandez was roughed up in his previous outing, surrendering a career-high six runs on eight hits over four innings en route to a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Seattle at Texas 8:05 PM ET
Two of the top pitchers in the major leagues square off when Seattle’s Felix Hernandez duels with Texas’ Yu Darvish as the Mariners and host Rangers clash on Wednesday. Hernandez has been sensational over his first three starts, winning each while striking out 30 in 21 1/3 innings. Darvish has yet to allow a run this season and gave up just one hit in eight innings of a no-decision against Houston in his last outing.
Boston at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox came into the series against the Chicago White Sox questioning their offense and created a few questions about their defense as the series got underway. The White Sox will try to take advantage again when they host the Red Sox on Wednesday. Boston managed just three hits in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday and allowed the winning run to cross in the bottom of the ninth on rookie Xander Bogaerts’ throwing error.
Kansas City at Houston 8:10 PM ET
With its starting rotation in excellent form, Kansas City hopes the bullpen and bats continue to follow suit as the Royals try to make it two straight when they visit the Houston Astros on Wednesday in the second contest of a three-game series. Kansas City is last in the major leagues with 36 runs and has hit only two homers, but its starters have nine quality starts in the first 12 games this season after Yordano Ventura recorded his first major league victory in Tuesday's 4-2 win.
Toronto at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins just can't seem to figure out how to beat the Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota will look to avoid its 17th loss in the past 21 meetings when it hosts the Blue Jays in the second contest of their three-game series Wednesday. Toronto used two big innings to subdue the Twins in Tuesday's opener, scoring five runs in the fifth and getting a grand slam from Brett Lawrie in the ninth to cruise to a 9-3 victory, ending the Twins' three-game winning streak.
Oakland at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels look to rebound from coughing up a pair of leads in the late innings the last two days when they host the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday in finale of a three-game series. The Angels were up 2-1 in the ninth Monday and led 6-3 in the seventh on Tuesday before losing both to their American League West rivals, who have won eight of nine games. The Los Angeles bullpen’s ERA has dropped to 5.32 ERA through the first 14 games – near the bottom of the league.
Colorado at San Diego 10:10 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies are playing a different brand of baseball on the road, with five consecutive one-run contests kicking off a seven-game trek. Colorado looks to even its trip 3-3 when it visits the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in the third contest of a four-game series. Including two of their four games in Miami to open the season, the Rockies are 3-4 in one-run games among their nine contests away from Coors Field, where the average margin of victory in six games is seven runs.
LA Dodgers at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
The San Francisco Giants are making an early statement in the National League West, where the Los Angeles Dodgers entered the season as the slight favorite. The Giants have won three of their first four games this season against the Dodgers heading into Wednesday’s meeting at AT&T Park, including Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2, 12-inning victory. The teams could use quality outings from their starting pitchers Wednesday after combining to use 15 pitchers in Tuesday’s four-hour, 54-minute marathon.